Cashew nut plantation profit per acre & cost

By planting 500 trees 4500 kg yield can be obtained from 1 acre in the 10th year. The estimated profit is around Rs 2074000 by investing Rs 6,26,000. 

Quick description – Yield per plant is 5 to 15kg, tree starts producing fruit after 4th year, commercial production in the 10th year, 500 trees per acre, investment Rs 6,26,000 and profit Rs 2074000.

Cashew tree characteristics

Height – It is a large tree, 14 metres (46 feet) tall.

Trunk – Short and irregular shape trunk. 

Leaves – Spirally arranged leathery textured, 4 – 22 cm long and 12-15 cm broad.

Flowers – 26 cm long, the flower turns green to reddish with 5-cylinder acute petals 7-15 mm long. 

False fruit – Yellow or red structured 5 to 11 cm long. 

True fruit – Kidney or boxing glove-shaped drop grows at the end of the cashew apple. 

Growing zone

It is grown commercially in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and West Bengal. It is also grown in some regions of Asam Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura.  

Project Report

Cashew nut plantation profit per acre & cost analysis is given below in detail.

Cost per acre 1 plant cost = Rs 30 Plant material cost = Rs 30 x 500 plants = Rs 15000. Land preparation cost = Rs 10,000. Labour cost = 15,000. Fertilizer manual cost = Rs 9000. Irrigation + electricity cost = Rs 15,000. Fencing cost = Rs 30,000. Drip irrigation cost = Rs 50,000. Miscellaneous cost = Rs 10,000. Total cost for 1st year = Rs 154,000.  Cost for 10 years  Reduce 1-time cost and then add again later.  Drip irrigation cost (Rs 50,000) + Fencing cost (Rs 30,000) + Plant material cost (Rs 15000) = Rs 95,000.  Total cost = Rs 154,000 – Rs 95,000 = 59000. Total cost for 9 years = Rs 59000 x 9 years = Rs 5,31,000. Total cost for 10 years = Rs 5,31,000 + Rs 95,000 (1 time cost). Total cost for 10 years = Rs 6,26,000.  Profit per acre Cashew yield per tree 10th year = 8 to 15 kg (depends on variety).  Let’s take 9 kg per tree.  If 500 trees per acre.  Yield = 500 trees x 9 kg = 4500 kg per acre.  Cashew price per kg = Rs 600, Rs 800, Rs 1000 and more.  Let’s assume the price is Rs 600 per kg.  Profit = Rs600 x 4500 kg = Rs 2700000. Net Profit = Rs 2700000 – Rs 6,26,000 = Rs 2074000. Net Profit = Rs 2074000.

Cashew cultivation practices

Follow the below-given steps to start the cultivation for better yield.

Varieties 

There are more than 30 varieties of cashew nuts that can be grown in different regions. Eight to ten kg of cashew nuts per tree can be achieved from a good variety. Varieties according to the regions are given below.

States	Varieties
Andhra Pradesh	BPP 1, BPP 2, BPP 3, BPP 4, BPP 5, BPP 6, BPP 8, BPP 10, BPP 9, BPP 10, BPP 11, TNo.1, TNo.56 and m44/3.
Karnataka	Selection 1, selection 2, chintamani 1, Ullal 2, Ullal 3, Ullal 4, NRCC1, NRCC3 and UN 50.
Kerala	Dhana, Priyanka, BLA 39-4, BLA 139-1, BLA 273-1, K30.1, K22-1, NDR 2-1, M 25-1, M26-2, M3/4, Madakkathara-1, Madakkathara-2 and Anakkayam 1.
Maharashtra	Vengurla 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 and 8.
Orissa	Bhubaneswar 1 and WBDC.
Tamilnadu	VRI-1, VRI-2, VRI-3 and BRI-1.
Madhya Pradesh	TNO.40.
Goa	Goa-1, Vengurla-4, Vengurla-7, Vengurla-8, Bhaskara (Goa 11/6).
West Bengal	Jhargram 1 & BPP.

Climate conditions 

Temperature 30 to 38°C, humidity 50%, annual rainfall 1000 to 2000 mm, altitude 700 m above sea level.  

During yield dry climate for 4 months is good for this crop. More importantly, this crop can adapt itself to almost any climate condition without affecting yield productivity.

Requirements irrigation 

Cashew plants required water for up to 3 years. To increase productivity and quality regular irrigation during flowering and fruiting is required. For sandy soil plantation irrigation is needed during summer months and drip irrigation is observed to produce higher yields.

Required soil 

Well-drained sandy loam soil, latric soil, red sandy loam soil, lateritic soil, clay soi, acidic pH soil and coastal area soils with good drainage. 

Soil pH – Soil pH more than 8 is required.

Plants per acre

150 to 500 plants can be planted in 1 acre according to the spacing. 

Plant spacing 

• 3 types of spacing are 1. Square 2. Rectangular and 3. Triangular. 
• Square system spacing.
• Extreme fertile soil – Spacing 8m x 8m.
• Medium fertile soil – Spacing 7m x 7m.
• Low fertile soil – Spacing 5m x 5m.

• Square system spacing 
• Spacing according to rows and plants and soil fertility is given below.
• High fertile soil – 9m x 7m.
• Medium fertile – 8m x 6m.
• Less fertile soil – 5.5m x 4.5m. 

Triangular system spacing – In this system, 15% more plants can be planted in the soil with a spacing of 60 cm x 60 cm x 60 cm.  

Pits – Keep pits open for 15 to 20 days. Cover the pits with the mixture of 20 kg FYM, 400 gm rock phosphate and 100-gram anti-termite compound. 

Manure and fertilizer required 

Apply the fertilizer at the base of the plant with a radius of 22.5 m and 15 cm depth. 

Fertilizer for 1st year = 50 gram urea + 175 g rock + 85 g muriate of potash.

Nutrient for 1st year = 15 kg FYM + 250 g nitrogen + 50 gm P2O5 + 50 gm K2o2.

Organic nutrients = Neem cake, oil cake, green leaf compost, poultry manure and vermicompost etc.

Pest and disease

Tea mosquito

Spray during flowering – Spraying 0.1% of carbaryl or 0.07% of phosalone during the flowering season.  

Thrips

Spray for pest control – 0.05% of monocrotophos and 0.1% carbaryl.

Spray for stem and root borers – 0.1% of BHC twice a year.  

Spray for nut borers – 0.05% of monocrotophos. 

Harvesting 

However, harvesting is started in the fourth year of planting. February to May is a good time for cashew harvesting. The tree takes almost 10 years to produce a complete yield and keeps increasing the yield for up to 20 years. Harvesting should be done on a clean ground, fruits are picked and nuts are separated on a weekly basis. 

Post harvesting steps

Cleaning, roasting, shell separation, drying peeling, grading and packing.

Intercropping 

Best time – Initially for 3 to 4 years other plants can be planted in the cashew nut farm as intercrop. 

Intercrops -Turmeric, papaya, ladyfinger, groundnut cheese and chilli etc.

Cashew nut yield per tree

Yield production depends on varieties which are given below. 

Bhaskara – 4 to 4.73kg per tree. 

Maakkathara – 2 to 4.50 kg per tree. 

Ullal 1 – 3.50 to 3.90 kg per tree. 

Ullal 4 – 3.68 kg per tree.

NRCC selection 2 – 3.50 kg per tree. 

10th year – 10 to 15 kg per tree. 

Yield increases as per the spacing. Bhaskar variety yield according to spacing is given below:

Bhaskar variety yield 737.89 kg/h with a spacing of 8m x 8m.

Bhaskar variety yield 1883 kg/h with a spacing of 5m x 5m. 

The largest cashew tree in the world is located in Natal, Brazil, 81,000 sq ft.

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